Friday, October 30, 2009

Our “Auf Wiedershen” Party for Gibson Monday night was a HUGE success! We had so much fun with everyone that came, and A LOT of people came! We had over 300 people show up to send Gibson off to Germany! We had hot chocolate, thanks to Uncle Mark Harper, lots of soda, thanks to Gram, and fresh donuts, thanks to Krispy Kreme!

Our raffle was a blast, and congrats to all our big winners, especially Brittney Arnett who took home the coveted “beach house” prize and the Gardners who took home the Suns tickets! Thanks to all of our wonderful family and friends, Gibson’s ENTIRE procedure is covered. That, in itself, is truly a miracle.

As we prepare to take off, in just over 24 hours, we are so excited and a little anxious! But most of all, we are grateful; grateful for the amount of love and support we have received from so many people. We are humbled and overwhelmed by the charity that has been shown to us by our amazing family and friends. We came home Monday night, after the party, and I picked through every one of the raffle entries. I was touched by the amount of sacrifice and love given by so many; by brothers, sisters, moms, dads, boss’s, teachers, therapists, uncles, aunts, cousins, grandma’s, grandpa’s, friends, and so many children Gibson’s own age. What incredible examples of true charity we have been given and we will never forget. This experience has changed our lives for the better. We have been served in such a way that we can never repay, but vow to try the rest of eternity. Chase and I have learned more about true charity, the pure love of Christ, over the last few weeks, than ever before, and it has blessed us forever.We cannot begin to thank everyone who has participated in this miracle, whether financially, or through your fasting and prayers. We have felt every ounce of your support, and it has meant the world to us, and that will be what will sustain us through the next few weeks. There are no words to describe our gratitude.

I will be posting to the blog while we are in Germany to keep you all updated on how things are going. I can’t believe it is here! We know that this is what the Lord wants for Gibson to do, and again, thank you all for getting him there! We love you all so much!

Friday, October 16, 2009

Come Celebrate with us! Gibson is going to Germany for a Stem Cell Transplant!

When: Monday, October 26th

Time: 7-9 PM

Where: Desert Mountain Park (SE corner of Hawes and Ocotillo, back of park by baseball fields)

We'll be having a raffle to earn the last bit of money needed for his procedure. So come buy some tickets, and have a chance at winning a week at a beach house, Suns tickets, or other great prizes! We'll be announcing the winners around 8pm that night! It's going to be a blast!

Our friends Riley and Spencer Evans decided to help me getto Germany by putting on a "sports camp" during the twoweek fall break. It was a blast! We played football, hadraces, and even ate snow cones! This is Riley presentingGibson with a donation towards his stem cell transplant.Gibson is one lucky kid to have such amazing friends...Thanks Riley and Spencer, and all those who participatedin the Evans Boys Sports Camp! Less than 3 weeks till Gibson gets his transplant, we can't wait!

Thank you!

We have been overwhelmed by the amount of love and support we have recieved from freinds and family. Thank you all so much, it means so much to us. So many people have been so incredably generous, that the entire procedure is pretty much paid for, that is unbelievable. Thank you all for your generosity, and most of all, for your fasting and prayers. We have the greatest family and friends on the planet and we love you all so much! Chase, Brynn, Nash, Gibson, Beau, and Mack too!

My Story

My name is Gibson Porter and I am a super hero, at least, that's what my mom says. I have a mom, Brynn, a dad, Chase, a big brother, Nash, a little brother, Beau, and another little brother that will be here soon. I have the best grandparents a kid could hope for, and alot of super fun cousins, aunts, and uncles. I love my family and they love me.One day, when I was still only 4 years old, my mom and dad took me to a hospital. I still wasn't talking, and my mom was DEMANDING answers, (she can be a little embarrassing, but no one fights harder for me than her!) The doctors put me in this funny looking tube and took pictures of my brain.Later that day, the doctor called my mom and told her that she was right! My brain was different. They said that I had something called Cebral Palsy, and a rare brain malformation called Perisylvian Dysgenesis (yikes!) I was already going to ALOT of therapies, to help me learn to talk and use my fingers, but it was nice to know just what was going on in my brain!I don't talk like everyone else. I have all the words in my head, I just can't get them out of my mouth! Sometimes it's annoying, but I seem to manage to get my point across most of the time, and if I can't, oh well, I'm still happy. I'm pretty messy when it comes to eating and drinking. My mom has had me try pretty much every cup and spoon ever made hoping that one will work, so far, not much luck, but I keep trying.I have a really hard time doing anything with my mouth, that even means little things like blowing and spitting, so brushing my teeth is not so much fun. I'm hoping that by my 6th Birthday, I'll finally be able to blow my candles out all by myself.My brain is different from pretty much everyone, but I don't mind. I work really hard everyday, to learn to use my mouth and fingers. You would think I would get really frustrated and mad alot of the time, but I like to be happy, so that's what I am.I love my family, friends, therapists, and video games. I love to go swimming and wrestle with my brothers. I just started kindergarten, and love every second. Thanks for visiting my blog, pass it on!